<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Lucky Ones by LMillay</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27637564">Lucky Ones</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LMillay/pseuds/LMillay'>LMillay</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sand Castle (2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 21:08:57</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,112</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27637564</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LMillay/pseuds/LMillay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Captain Syverson was home. He wasn’t leaving on another tour; he was home for good and it was the first time in a long time. He had left his wife behind a newlywed and pregnant. Every time he returned home, he would leave her pregnant again and she was left to raise their children. Now he was home to a retinue of brats who barely knew their father and a wife who was exhausted, overwhelmed.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Captain Syverson (Sand Castle)/Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The morning sun bled through the blinds, he groaned blinking in it, and laid quiet for a moment, eyes still closed. He had to assert where he was, so used to waking up on base that being home was disturbing and he clutched at the blanket laid over him, plush. He blinked his eyes, covering them with his hand, and slowly adjusted his eyes to the light. He heard children's voices yelling, the voice of his wife and he sighed, he was home. He gently pulled himself out of bed, sitting on the edge and rubbing his shaved head. They had their reunion last night, he had come out into the airport to find her standing there in a form-hugging sundress still looking as beautiful as the day he met her but now she was surrounded by five children, with one on her hip.</p><p>“Did I really get you pregnant this many times?” he asked as he stood in front of her and she rolled her eyes, he smiled as he kissed her.</p><p>He got up, shuffling to the bathroom, and then pulled on boxer briefs, heading downstairs. The wooden steps creaked from the activity he hadn’t been a part of, the banister loose, something he would have to fix in time and he walked into the dining room where his kids were sat at the long oak table he hadn’t picked out. The din in the room quickly quieted and he glanced at his wife who had entered with two cups of milk, she set them on the table.</p><p>“Nice of you to join us,” she said and he smiled briefly, sitting at the head of the table. He looked around at the wide-eyed faces sat at the table and smiled at them, not sure of words. “Say good morning to your daddy,” she commanded, and quickly the chorus went up from them.</p><p>“Morning,” he grunted with a short nod and she disappeared from the room, returning with a plate</p><p>of food. She set it down in front of him and he gazed at it. Bacon, eggs, corned beef hash.</p><p>“Is this okay?” she asked, quickly recognizing his expression and he looked up at her.</p><p>“It’s a lot of food,” he replied, and she glanced down at the plate, confusion washing over her face.</p><p>“Do you not eat on base?” she asked, and he smiled with a shake of his head.</p><p>“Not like this,” he replied and picked up his fork. “It’s good, thank you,” he said and she nodded, pausing for a moment.</p><p>“Do you drink coffee?” she asked, he heard the hesitancy in her voice, the realization she should know this about her husband, but they had been apart so long, things changed.</p><p>“I do, black,” he said with a nod and she left the room again, he glanced at the end of the table where the kids were gathered. The eldest was six, he had sandy blonde hair with cobalt blue eyes and seemed the boldest of the bunch. The next was brunette with brown eyes, large almond-shaped eyes that widened in wonder whenever her father looked at her, and the one after had long blonde hair to the shoulders, large round blue eyes. Another sat beside that one, short brown hair and blue eyes, ignoring his father for the food on his plate. The baby was content in her highchair, shuffling food around and paying no mind to the near-stranger at the end of the table. His wife returned with the coffee and one for herself, she set Syverson’s down.</p><p>“Kids, if you’re done, clear your plates and go brush your teeth,” she dismissed and with a great commotion, the kids left the table, plates clinking as they went. Syverson listened as the plates were emptied into the sink and the patter of feet running up the stairs was heard.</p><p>“You seem to have everything under control,” he said and she smiled, shrugging.</p><p>“I had to,” she said, and he nodded, chewing his food as he gazed at her.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he apologized, and she looked at him with her beautiful hazel eyes, today they were green.</p><p>“For what? Doing your job?” she asked. “Don’t apologize, you were doing what you thought was right,” she stated, and he smiled again, nodding. “Sometimes you veered off that path, but you always came back,” she reminded, referring to the only time Syverson had cheated on her. It had been a new private on the base, he had got out of control and had been gone from home far too long.</p><p>“You’ve always been my center,” he assured, and she smiled tightly at him.</p><p>“Good to hear,” she said, lifting her coffee and drinking from it. She looked up at the ceiling as a fight broke out between the kids and she sighed, placing the cup down. “I’ll be back,” she said and scraped the chair back, heading upstairs. He listened as he ate, he realized she may be outnumbered and rose from the table, moving up the wooden steps. He heard the six-year-old talking back to his mother, he felt the anger flare up and he rushed into the bathroom, startling all its occupants. “Hey! No!” she shouted as he went to strike the boy and he looked back at her. “I can handle this,” she promised, and he looked back to the boy who was pushed back into the bathtub, clutching on to the shower curtain in fear of his father. He growled and left the bathroom, returning to his plate.</p><p>Moments later, the squall settled down and she returned to the table, sitting down again. He sighed and looked up at him.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” he said, and she smiled again at him, it was a stressed smile though.</p><p>“It’s fine, just let me handle things for a little, while you get accustomed to everything,” she pleaded, and he nodded.</p><p>“If I ever talked like that with my mother, I would have been paddled,” he said, and she nodded.</p><p>“I know, a lot is going on right now, he’s having a hard time adjusting,” she explained, and he shook his head.</p><p>“He should never speak to you like that,” he stated.</p><p>“I agree but physical discipline doesn’t work, they don’t understand why we’re hitting them,” she said. “We’re their haven and if we start lashing out like that, well, we lose all sense of control,” she stated, and he shrugged.</p><p>“You’re in control,” he said, and she smiled, he looked at her again. “What?” he asked.</p><p>“How much does that kill you?” she asked, and he smiled, shaking his head.</p><p>“Not at all, I’ve had charge over a whole base of privates, and I’d take that again over that wild tribe,” he said pointing to the ceiling and she laughed.</p><p>“That wild tribe is 50% of yours, babe,” she reminded, and he nodded.</p><p>“Oh, I know, I know, trust me,” he said, and she smiled.</p><p>“I was thinking you could take them out to the park today,” she offered, and his eyebrows raised.</p><p>“The park? By myself?” he asked, and she shrugged.</p><p>“Why not? Nothing like baptism by fire,” she said, and he sighed, leaning back in his seat.</p><p>“Shit, they’ll destroy me!’ he exclaimed, and she laughed.</p><p>“Captain Syverson, are you afraid of a bunch of kids?” she asked.</p><p>“Yes!” he stated, and she smiled, shaking her head.</p><p>“Look I’ll go with you but you are coming,” she said as she stood up and he nodded.</p><p>“Whatever you want,” he agreed, and she smiled, moving to walk away. He grabbed the back of her shirt and she looked at him as he pulled her close, wrapping an arm around her waist. “I missed you,” he said, and she smiled down at him. She sat in his lap and pressed her lips against his. They heard noises of disgust from the hall and looked out, laughing as they saw their six and five-year-old making faces watching their parents kiss.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>He sat on the plaid blanket she had laid on the grass and watched as she ran around the playground with them, he smiled. She had been the reason he had been able to do what he did, he knew she had it under control at home and that she was easily able to handle it all. </p><p>"Is this the famous Mr. Syverson?" a voice came and he closed one eye, blinded from the sun as he looked up at the figure. A slim, long blonde haired woman came into view and she had a vibrant smile on her face. "I'm Betty, a friend of your wife, I heard you were coming home," she said and put her hand out, he pulled himself up to a seated position and shook her hand.</p><p>"Nice to meet you," he said gruffly.</p><p>"Are you enjoying being home?" she asked and he nodded, looking back to the play ground. He saw his wife had stopped playing with the kids, she had seen Betty approach and she was making her way over</p><p>"Betty!" she exclaimed and the woman turned, her smile still on her face.</p><p>"Lauren!" she greeted and the pair hugged. "I was just introducing myself to your husband," she said and Lauren smiled, looking at him. He had quickly stood when he saw her approaching and she pushed herself into his side, he awkwardly wrapped an arm around her. "You must be so happy he's home," she gushed.</p><p>"We are," Lauren agreed.</p><p>"I'm going to go set my stuff down, I think Jake is already done there with your group," she said, looking down at the playground and Lauren nodded.  She looked up at Sy as Betty walked away and smiled at him.</p><p>"What," he asked and she shrugged, letting him return to his seat.</p><p>"It's just weird to see you in civilian life," she commented and knelt down on the blanket, pulling out two waters. She handed one to him and drank from the other. "Are you happy?" she asked and Sy sighed.</p><p>"You need to stop asking," he murmured and she shrugged.</p><p>"I don't think I can," she answered and pulled out a granola bar, glancing at their sleeping infant daughter. "I worry that you're going to be unhappy with us, that you'll miss your life on base," she said and Sy studied her profile. He reached a hand out and let his fingers graze down her neck, she looked at him.</p><p>"I promise you, I can never be unhappy with you," he assured and she smiled, leaning in to kiss him. "Those hellions though," he said glancing down at the playground and she laughed, watching them run around screaming. "Caleb looks at me like I'm the scariest thing he's seen," he muttered, referring to the eldest and Lauren smiled.</p><p>"He has very few memories of you, Sy, you've been in and out of their lives," she reminded. "It will take time," she assured. "Maybe take him fishing or something, some one on one time," she offered and her eyes looked back at him. "So it's not so overwhelming for you and he'll get to know you better," she explained and Syverson nodded, his eyes on the play ground. Sy spent the rest of the time laid back, his hat cocked down over his eyes and listening to the incessant chatter of Target, Starbucks and everything else the two women oozed over with momentary interruption from the kids."Sy, you ready to go?" she asked, nudging his side and he startled from his sleep, raising his hat. </p><p>"What?" he asked, glancing around.</p><p>"We're going to get going," she said as she began to repack the bag and he nodded, sitting up. His kids stood around the blanket, holding onto toys they brought and jackets they had taken off during play. He stood up and reached down to grab the car seat with the baby.</p><p>"You're tall," the second oldest said and he looked at her, he smiled.</p><p>"I am," he agreed and she grinned at him.</p><p>"I'm going to be taller than you some day," Caleb announced and Sy smiled.</p><p>"Oh you think so?" he asked and Caleb nodded eagerly.</p><p>"Then I'm going to join the army and become Special Ops," he said and started off pretending to shoot a gun, Sy gazed after him.</p><p>"See? They're warming up to you," Lauren said as she walked past him and he followed with the baby, his other children trailing not far behind. The last thing he wanted was for any of his kids to join the military but that would be their decision, all he could do is give them advice.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>